Practicing Mindfulness
Being mindful in 2025 is a skill
I’ll come on to discuss the Islamic perspective on mindfulness and how it’s viewed, but first a few thoughts.
Practicing mindfulness is not something which you can immediately pick up - especially will all the distractions we have around us in 2025, namely social media. Often we are fixated by our miniature screens, re-watching endless reels and scrolling through pictures of people we don’t know.
Being mindful by defintion is about being present in the moment, where we are not reactive or overwhelmed by the things around us. Rather we live in a state of equilibrium and where we can stablise our emotions, reduce outside noise and increase our clarity of mind.
Sounds like we are in the the film Limitless, right? Take the pill and every ounce of our focus is directed to the moment we are presently in.
Take for example, me writing this post, it’s taking a lot of edits and restructuring, it’s also involved food breaks, going to the gym in-between and probably some others things.
Yet, despite me attempting to practice mindfulness there is always some form of distraction present.
You get the picture…
If the golfer get it’s inside the big hole of the French horn, you reckon the musician would swallow the ball?
Islam emphasises mindfulness, though it may not always use the term "mindfulness" as I have detailed above. Instead, it uses concepts like taqwa (God-consciousness), muraqabah (spiritual watchfulness), and khushu‘ (humble attentiveness in prayer). A short summary of each is detailed below:
1. Taqwa (God-Consciousness)
Central to the Qur'an: "Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous [muttaqi] of you." (Qur'an 49:13)
Being aware that Allah sees all actions and thoughts promotes self-awareness and moral accountability.
2. Muraqabah (Spiritual Watchfulness)
Comes from the root meaning “to observe.”
It means being constantly aware that Allah is watching you, not out of fear alone, but out of admiration and love.
A hadith from Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) describes ihsan: “To worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then know that He sees you.” (Sahih Muslim)
3. Khushu‘ (Attentiveness in Prayer)
The Qur’an praises those who pray with khushu‘: "Successful indeed are the believers—those who humble themselves in their prayer." (Qur’an 23:1-2)
It involves full focus and humility before God—free from distraction. Not only observing the prayers in a physical state, i.e; the sujood and correct posture, but also an inner feeling within the heart of submissiveness and awareness.
4. Dhikr (Remembrance of God)
The constant remembrance of God is a way to stay present and centered:
“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Qur’an 13:28)Dhikr helps prevent the mind from being consumed by anxiety, ego, or distractions. Being grateful and thankful for all God has presented you and not taking it for granted allows for a greater level of peace.
5. Intentional Living (Niyyah)
Every act in Islam begins with intention: “Actions are judged by intentions…” (Hadith – Bukhari & Muslim)
Cultivating intention in daily actions trains the believer to be mindful, even in mundane activities.
Mindfulness in Islam is thus deeply spiritual—it’s not just about mental clarity, but about aligning the heart, mind, and soul with divine presence and purpose.
Ending this post now, hope you stayed switched on whilst reading it and present in the moment.
If not, no worries - practicing mindfulness is not easy and for me it’s still challenging. Yet with the above reminders it makes the job slightly easier.
